So, without further ado - here are some of the books I've read lately, with my thoughts.

Longbourn - Loved this story of Pride and Prejudice, the servant version. I really enjoy the stories that tell the back ground, the things that go on behind the scenes. It told the tale of the Darcy girls servant, and brought her story right up to the line of Elizabeth and Jane's with very little overlap. Nothing raunchy or tasteless, just a good story. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Sycamore Row - I wanted to like this book. I really did. I tried hard to - the story concept was intriguing - a white man kills himself because he has terminal cancer and leaves his millions to his black housemaid. As story lines go, it covered everything, with heavy emphasis on the race line, and it was believable. I don't know if it was because I read it right after my father in law died, or if it was the cancer story line (much too close after Joann) or what - but the book lost me. Every time some twist was introduced, I got excited to read - but then the book would drag again. He threw every cliche, every story possibility and every potential story line into this book. I feel like he could have told the story in 2/3 of the pages. I mainly just wanted to know who got the money. 3 out of 5.

MockingJay - I've read this before, but I took a couple of my kids to see Catching Fire and wanted to read it again while it was still fresh. I highly recommend the movie, btw, and if you do see it, read MockingJay immediately after - it cleared up a bunch of stuff for me and gave me some mental images that were useful. 4.5 out of 5

Someone Else's Love Story - Oh, boy. When Joshilyn Jackson first came on the scene, a few of my favorite bloggers recommended her, and I tried the first book. I don't know why, maybe it was me, but I hated it. I couldn't get into it and for the next several years, whenever she was recommended, I'd go, "Blergh." (So sorry, I feel like I'm kicking a cat over here.) But. When Kira raved and raved, I thought to myself, "That Kira, she's really smart and I maybe should just try the free download - I love that feature SO HARD, it's saved me from many a bad book!" and I was hooked. I read the entire thing in two days. It was awesome, and now I've got to get catch a crow to make some pie or do some other form of penance. 5 out of 5.

My Own Miraculous - A prequel to the above, I actually read it before I read the first book - but after the sample, if that makes sense. It made sense to me, anyway - and it was also very, very good. 5 out of 5.

Dancing with the Enemy - I love WWII era, and especially Holocaust survivor books - and it is really, really difficult to find a Holocaust book that is good reading - I did read Sarah's Key and am currently attempting Hanns and Rudolf, but there aren't a ton of good ones out there - again, the free sample download has saved me from a lot of bad ones. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The story of a woman who owned a dancing school and was captured by the Nazis - I think the problem was that I didn't like her. I had a very hard time with her as a person, and I found the book choppy and in a few places, hard to follow. It did illustrate very well the reality that, often in times of war, the good people aren't 100% good and the bad aren't 100% evil - but this book wasn't as good as it could have been. 3 out of 5.

A long, long, LONG LONG time ago, a beautiful and very kind reader who has become a friend over the years sent me a Facebook message.

Well, she actually sent three. Over the course of about, um, let us say six months. Does that sound right, Sandra?

Message Numero Uno:

So I'm having a housewarming party. Don't know when, but we just bought a house, and it's my first new house ever (moved from apartment with roommates to stupid isolated house on the farm with no neighbors or friends yeah you get the picture). But I have never hosted a party that didn't have, ya know, adults. Out of their 20s. And I'm a stupid introvert and I just want people to come over and have FUN but it scares me to death.

I have a few months to plan. Just looking for advice on party planning ... what to buy, what to do, what to serve.... oh, I dunno. I'm a mess.

Ahem. Please to note that it has taken me SIX MONTHS to reply to you. WHO is the mess now, Missy? Hmmmm?

Message Numero Two:

I know I asked for how to do a party but you know what I would like and might make an excellent blog post? What to have on hand for impromptu get-togethers. Like, hey, the parents on the soccer team are all coming over after the game and bringing beer and we're ordering pizza ... so what should that house have on hand? food, seating, etc.??

Message the Third:

Forget the party post. You are dead to me.

I'm so kidding. That's not what she said at all. She told me that she'd had several parties in the time I'd abandoned her, and she was channeling me for said parties, and wondered if I might know why her parties weren't as fun as they might be - and I said it was because she was channeling me.

No, in reality, she was warm and lovely and I feel like even MORE of an idiot for totally abandoning this topic. And, so, I though that I'd write up 6 or 8 or 10 things that I like to keep in mind for parties. Especially as Thanksgiving is in 48 hours - what can you add to this list?

The first step to having a fantastic party is to just decide you are having one. You may be asking yourself, "Why did she ask Carmen for party planning tips? Is she trying to get in good with her?" The reality is, I love to have parties. Love them. Would have one every week if it wasn't so expensive and messy and I didn't have, you know, life. But, you can make yourself crazy with the Should I or shouldn't I? debate. Just have the party already. You know you want to - so figure out a date and pencil it in.

Now, let's discuss what type of party. Will it be a small, intimate gathering of neighbors to watch football and drink beer? Will you invite your female friends for chocolate desserts on Valentine's weekend? Will you have your girlfriends bring over the clothes that they don't want and host a clothing swap? Will you invite everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, local that you like for Cookies, Coffee and Booze two weeks before Christmas? Will you have the soccer team over to celebrate the end of the season, give out trophies, and slip the parents wine on the side? It's totally up to you - if a big party paralyzes you, invite two couples and call it intimate. Maybe you don't want to cook a bunch, or you aren't confident in your culinary skills - plan a potluck, in which you serve the drinks and desserts and everyone brings their favorite main dish. It's totally up to you, is the point.

People like to bring stuff. I know, there's always someone who gripes - but just don't invite that person. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding - Dad, you are always welcome. HA!) If people ask, don't be shy - often, they like to bring stuff to show support to you or to maybe be able to make their famous chocolate cake and not eat the entire thing in a weekend. Not like I would know about that. If someone wants to bring something and you can't imagine what you need, say ice. I never ever ever have enough ice.

What should you have on hand? Booze. (I'm kidding. Someone told me once that she worried about my drinking, because it was clear to her that I drank a lot. Newsflash: I TALK about drinking a lot. I drink maybe once a week, and when I do, it's a drink. One. I don't have the tolerance to drink more, and it sets off my migraines - so I talk a big talk.) One of the best things I have on hand, and I totally didn't do it, my sister in law Joann did, was keep one of those huge boxes of 300 -500 pieces of plasticware on hand. She bought me a box, and it was like the light switch went off. Since then, I try to always keep paper plates, napkins, cups and forks on hand. You can have a party without them, and I do, all the time - but it's so much easier to have disposable. I don't keep special foods on hand, because, hello, we would all eat them. I do have a Pinterest board and when the mood strikes to have a party, I take a few minutes to look through it for food ideas. There's ALWAYS something new to try!

As far as food? You can never have too much - but be careful with your choices. It's super easy to buy 6 bags of chips and some dip, but what about making a theme? Taco night, chili and cornbread, desserts for two? Cookies and coffee, pizza, Italian, fondue? There are tons of ideas. What about a backwards dinner? Breakfast after church? Mason jars and grilled foods? Again, search on Pinterest for party ideas.

Seating is the bane of my existence. My typical MO is to pull the kitchen chairs into the living room and push the kitchen table back up against the wall. It opens the space and gives everyone more room to gather in the kitchen- because you KNOW that is where everyone ends up anyway. I don't really worry about seating, to be honest.

Keeping food warm - crockpots are fantastic for this. I try to make at least two things that I can do ahead of time and keep warm in the crock. Otherwise - I don't worry about keeping foods hot, because you will go CRAZY doing this, Instead, introduce your guests to your microwave and relax. My husband always wants food to be roughly the temperature of lava, so we are big time microwave users. Me? As long as it's not frozen solid or burning my mouth, I'll eat it at any temperature - years of eating with babies cured me from being temperature fussy.

The Great Introvert Question. If you are introverted, but want to have a kickin' party, what do you do? Well, you invite a lot of extroverts. I'm only half kidding. One thing I've gotten knocked on at my parties before is that I tend to forget to introduce people - I bring people in and I'm usually still setting up and getting food out and, well, it's a weakness that I have. Invite at least one person who loves to talk - I guarantee that your party will never go wrong. (in my parties, this person is me. So, invite me, is what I'm trying to say!) I try, to the best of my ability, to keep an eye out for people who are too quiet, are sitting alone, or look bored. Often, I might ask those people to help me with something - it's a great way to bring a quiet person in to the party in a non threatening way. Don't forget - other people enjoy parties in a different way, so if they are quiet, it might not be you. (Unless it's me. It's ALWAYS ME.) If you have a lot of people who don't know each other, think of an ice breaker - I've had people wear nametags that show a "7 degrees of Carmen" type thing, where they tell how they know me - and see how close the other person is. It's surprisingly fun.

And cleaning. The great debate - do you clean before, or during, or after? I do a vast pick up before, and probably pass the vacuum - and definitely wipe the bathroom down. Otherwise, I wait until after - it's going to get messy during the party, and spills happen, so mop after. Try to keep up with the garbage cans during, and I usually make sure the dishwasher is empty before, so I can toss stuff in while the party is going strong. If you do that, the work after is almost negligible.

And I forgot decorating - probably because I do very little of it. There are, again, fantastic Pinterest boards devoted to this - but decorating and crafty are two areas in which I am sadly lacking. I have done balloons and streamers and chalk and window markers - and my mom provides fantastic graduation stuffs and football decorations for thos parties - but this is an area in which I really struggle.

So, maybe that was a very basic thing to you - in which case, come back tomorrow, and I'll discuss the books I've been reading.

So, there's this once a year, fancy dress up occasion that the hubby and I attend. I mean, it's really, really fancy. It's a fund raiser for the school, and everyone goes all out. We get dressed up, hang out with friends, eat a fancy dinner, bid on prizes - and generally enjoy the heck out of the evening.

We both needed it this year. I mean, really needed it.

I went to Sephora and cashed my free makeover coupon I'd had for an entire year.

Then I went and got a fantabulous 1940's/1950's pin up hair style.

And we went and rocked out.

And a good time was had by all, even if I did get a bit teary right before we left - I remembered that, last year, I'd gone to show Joann my dress - I always did that before I went out fancy, she really loved to see me get dressed up. I had to force myself not to cry, because the makeup application took two hours - being that I'd asked for one step below drag queen - and there was no way in the world I'd be able to replicate it at home.

And we took a few pics when we got home, mostly for posterity - I was told by more than a few women at the party that my dress was gorgeous - one woman even said I was the prettiest person in attendance, so that felt nice.

I am the first to admit that math and engineering are not my areas of strength. I am definitely heavy into words.

I freely admit that math boggles my mind. This does not mean I'm stupid.

Despite this, I have a daughter who excels at math. in fact, when I asked her to explain music theory to me - she's got an A in that class - she immediately lost me when she remarked, "It's easy! It's all math based - and if you get math, you'll understand music theory!"

Ahem. I still don't get music theory.

Engineers make the world a better place. They create everything we use - and the engineering world is predominately male oriented. In fact, only 11% of the engineers worldwide are female, even though Engineering and Technology are the fastest growing job segments in the world. That's a staggeringly small number. Our population is pretty close to a 50% split female and male - so imagine how much better the things we use every day would be if they were designed by both genders!

Recently, I was invited to learn more about GoldieBlox, a great new company for girls, founded by Debbie Sterling. Sterling is an engineer and founder of GoldieBlox, a toy company out to inspire the next generation of female engineers. She has made it her mission in life to tackle the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math. GoldieBlox is a book series + construction set that engages kids to build through the story of Goldie, the girl inventor who solves problems by building simple machines. Debbie writers and illustrates Goldie's stories. In other words, this company was created to expose girls to engineering concepts from a very young age. GoldieBlox helps young girls develop spatial skills, understand basic engineering principles and build self-confidence in problem solving. As young girls internalize and learn more effectively through storytelling, GoldieBlox marries the story of Goldie, the girl inventor who loves to build, with a construction kit.

Why would someone need to create an engineering game/toy for girls? Girls and boys learn the same, don't they?

Not.Even.Close.

In her research into gender related learning differences, Debbie discovered that the two genders can be extrapolated into two camps - Build and Story vs. Build and Smash. Girls love stories and characters. They want to know why things happen - and, like it or not, they gravitate towards toys in the pink and purple color families - so, even though some say it's gender stereotyping, it makes sense to create a toy with which they will want to engage - something they will look at more than once.

Basically, if you incorporate the "Why", girls want to join in the play.

Recently, I participated in a discussion group with Debbie, and was thrilled to be able to ask her a burning question.

What makes GoldieBlox different from the other building sets out there - Legos, Erector Sets, Tinker Toys, etc?

GoldieBlox contains a story element - the pink and purple toys, so colored to appeal to girls, come with a book series. This series encourages girls to create a world that Goldie lives in. (Goldie is a character Sterling created based on her favorite spunky, fun literary characters - Eloise, Matilda, and Punky Brewster.) Sterling wants Goldie to be a beloved character, a character who grows with your girl and becomes a model to follow.

Sterling has great plans for this small company - GoldieBox are currently sold in ToysRUs and Books A Million, as well as many smaller independent shops - but she's shooting to get shelf space at Wal-Mart and Target. In order to do that, Sterling applied to a contest run by Intuit to win an ad in the Superbowl. Out of 15,000 applicants, the company was selected as a Top 4 Finalist. Want to help them get a 30 second ad on SuperBowl Sunday? You can vote here: http://bit.ly/Vote4Goldie

Like so many girls, Debbie Sterling was born an engineer...she just didn't know it. She's working to inspire the next generation of female engineers through GoldieBlox - a construction toy that marries storytelling with engineering, and opens the world of STEM to girls ages 5 and up. Watch the video to learn about the inspiration for GoldieBlox and the impact it's making on girls and their families.

Debbie is one of the newest members of #PassionProject, an American Express® program designed to enable, inspire and encourage people to pursue their passion projects. With #PassionProject, American Express is supporting a new generation of makers, creators and mold-breakers tapping into vibrant web communities to identify the stories of men and women living their passions every day. Not only does American Express showcase these inspiring #PassionProjects, but Membership also enables their #PassionProject to take the next step forward thanks to the strength of the American Express network.

To learn more about the members of #PassionProject and watch their stories here.

Want to win a GoldieBlox and the Parade Float” toy? Leave me an answer to this question: "How will GoldieBlox inspire a young girl in your life?”

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I make this every year for the major holiday dinners - my brother in law is probably the biggest fan of this recipe, but everyone loves it. Typically, I make two pans. Every year, I am asked for the recipe, and so I thought I'd share it here.

Cast of Characters:

In a large bowl, melt a stick of butter - note that the original recipe calls for two, but think to yourself that this is a lot of butter and your butt is not getting any smaller, so try it with one stick. While the butter is melting, you've got nothing better to do, so pour a drink. Check to make sure the butter is melted. It's not. Set the microwave again. Check again. Stir the melted butter around and curse when it pops and splashes on your hand. Eat a cookie to console yourself - remember, all calories consumed while cooking don't count.

Search for the can opener. Yell at your kid who put away the clean dishes when you find the can opener hidden behind the gravy bowl - who uses the gravy bowl and why would you think of looking for the can opener there? Encourage your child to put things away where they go, and tell her that, if she can't remember where it goes - put it with the martini shaker. You'll be sure to find it then.

Open the cans of corn. Drain the corn. No, not the creamed corn, dummy - that would be disastrous. Drain the regular corn and dump it into the bowl that has the vicious melted butter. Add the creamed corn. Stir it all up. Dump in a cup of sour cream (low fat is fine, remember that your behind is roughly the size of Texas and every calorie you save can be used up in your beverage selection!) and stir it again. Finally, add the world's cheapest corn bread mix and stir a final time. You won't get all of the lumps out, so save your bat wings from flapping hard enough to draw a breeze and just do your best.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Curse and scrape the mixture out of the pan and back into the bowl, because you forgot to grease the casserole dish. Wipe the dish down, spray it with non stick spray, and pour the mixture back into the dish.

Curse again - you forgot to preheat the oven. Turn it on to 400 and pour yourself a drink. By the time you've finished your beverage of choice, the oven timer has beeped and you can put the dish into the oven.

Go ahead and work on the rest of the dinner. Curse when you realize you have no idea how long the corn pudding has been cooking - but it sure does smell good. Guesstimate that it's been about 30 minutes, and stick a knife in the middle of the mixture. Thank everything that's holy that the mixture is still gooey, and promise to keep a better eye on it. Set the timer for 15 more minutes. Check the casserole again - if it's still gooey, you really miscalculated what time dinner is served. Tell everyone in the family to pour a drink and by the time you all finish, it should be done. Try to do the math in your head and realize that it took about an hour for the recipe to finish cooking, and vow to remember it next time.

One of my kids says that all the time. It drives me completely batty. Anytime she has an issue, she says this as a comeback – the struggle is real.

But for me, there's nothing more fitting.

I feel like I've been slogging through mud uphill in the rain since about the middle of September. Right after I got my kids settled in school, as a matter of fact, everything started going downhill. And then we had the frantic, overwhelming chaos of the last three weeks of my father-in-law's life, the week in the hospital, the funeral, and trying to get back into what passes for me as a normal routine – I'm really having a hard time.

The world went on without me, while I was floundering. And as a result, I missed a few key things for my kids. The deadline for the New York trip for my daughter – the one that she really wanted to go on – well, that flew by. So did the sign up for summer intensive programs. As did the sign up for a sport one of my kids wanted to to participate in. I did, however, manage to brute force my way through one thing, and so my son will get to go to hitting camp next month. We missed open house night for high schools for next year for my middle son. I'm pretty sure I missed at least one if not more instructional evenings as well. I haven't done funeral ministry, cleaned the church, gone to exercise classes, attended ballet classes, or even gone for a walk since about the first of October. I have several reviews piled up, which means that it'll be review heavy here for a bit more. We missed the first night of confirmation class for my daughter, and as a result, spent a highly entertaining evening last night in the Spanish version.

My daughter is fairly fluent in Spanish. Me? I know nothing.

My husband has been great, filling in as much as he can – I didn't even tell you about the time that he stayed up several hours into the early morning, and did all of the ironing that's piled up. But there's been very little help from other areas, areas in which I'm finding myself feeling very resentful.

Wow. I guess I found the area of my life I need to work most on, and that would be resentment

But I'm plugging away. Yesterday, I attempted to clean off my desk of all the random paperwork. All the thank you notes have been written and mailed. The reciprocal Mass cards have been done. The bedroom has been cleaned out. Everything has been taken to the thrift store, and I'm trying to get back on solid footing.

I just wish I knew were some solid footing was. And I might need a hand to get up there.

I remember when I was a kid and my mom would make homemade, from scratch, ravioli. It was one of my favorites, and I've made it with my kids - but there's only so much time in the day, and lately - the homemade ravioli hasn't happened. I'm still making the sauce - especially since I still have tomatoes in the garden, whipping up a fresh sauce is super easy - but I've skipped the homemade pastas.

My kids are pretty adventurous eaters. They are great fruit and veg eaters, a bit less on the out of the typical meats - but good eaters overall. When the opportunity came to try Monterey Foods new offerings, and have a "cook with the kids" night - we were all in. I've often discovered that by having them cook with me, the kids are more apt to try new foods, even foods that aren't typical "kid fare" - like, say, steamed dumplings or spinach pasta. We try to focus on healthy, natural meals - but keep it fun for everyone.

We were sent a selection of gourmet pastas to try - missing from this picture is the four cheese variety (my oldest boy commandeered it immediately upon unpacking the box and ate the entire thing in one sitting. I'll have to take his word for it that it was yummy.)

The kids picked out a variety and we got busy.

She takes her cooking responsibilities very seriously, yo.

One thing that I really appreciate about Monterey Foods is their all natural philosophy - with fresh foods, there's no need for additives or preservatives, things with long, chemical names that I can not pronounce - just yummy, healthy foods. They meet my super insanely high standards of flavorful, natural and high quality ingredients. In fact, Monterey Gourmet Foods takes great pride in their products, as dictated by their own, “Generally Natural Principles.” They offer a wide variety of products, which all have distinct flavors and are perfect for a family on the go – especially a family whose mother has super high standards.

We boiled up the ravioli and pan fried the dumplings and served them in a smorgasbord type style - but everyone had to try one of everything.

SOMEONE wasn't thrilled to try spinach - even though her brothers and sisters promised that it was really yummy - and we let her put extra cheese on top.

Once she tried it, though, she was a fan - and ate four more.

Not pictured - the salad and apple slices. Please to note the incredibly stylish Mason Jar of Chocolate milk.

The pastas and dumplings were delicious, cooked quickly and left us pleasantly full and satisfied. We ate all three packages, leaving no leftovers for my poor, overworked husband - but having satisfied kids who weren't existing on chicken nuggets was an awesome feeling. And, as a bonus - the people who cook have to clean up, so I had lots of full tummies washing the dirty dishes.

For more recipes and offers, visit Monterey Gourmet Foods on Facebook or follow them on their website. "At Monterey Gourmet Foods we bring the world to your table. Try our internationally inspired pasta dishes."

For a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift card, leave a comment telling me what side dish or sauce you would serve alongside your Monterey Gourmet Foods Discovery Dish?

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Like, all the time. They come by it honestly - my husband says that I talk just to hear myself think.

We drive to school. We leave at 7, and they can get out of the car at 7:35 - so we are captive for a fair amount of time. I've taken to memoralizing some of the conversations we have, just because the topic changes are wide and varied - and my kids really come up with some stuff.

Here are some examples - I've been posting these on my personal Facebook page, so if we are friends on Facebook, it's all old news to you.

- Today's "On the way to school Convo" consisted of only one thing: drink your protein shake, drink your protein shake, if you don't drink your protein shake I will take your iPod for two weeks. Yes, you have to drink your protein shake. I don't care if you don't like it – just drink the damn thing already.

- Today's on the way to school convo: how stress makes a body sick, in case of an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) would plumbing still work, the aorta and it's function, recitation of lines from The Princess Bride, and why coffee smells so good.

- Today's on the way to school conversations: who would win in a fight (Visiting Grandpa vs. Uncle), why Mommy wore slippers to drive, the proper length of eyebrows, why "suite" is pronounced the way it is, Gabe's 8 min mile, and how a person could follow the sunrise across the world. Happy Tuesday, y'all!

- Today's on the way to school conversation - why is Mars called the red planet, the atmosphere of Venus vs. Earth vs. Mars, eighth notes and quarter notes and how to play them, and why it seems like it's rained every day for forever.

Today is always the best day of the year for me. I'm vain that way, but I do love my birthday.

It is one day in the year that is devoted to just - me. And I work so very hard every other day of the year that I'm not shy about claiming this day for me.

I took my kids and we went to buy cupcakes.

And I got beautiful flowers, funny, snarky cards, Limoncello soap and a gift card from my son, lunch out from my daughter, ballet classes from my mom, dinner and a movie from my husband, a set of FOUR titanium and crystal martini glasses from my girlfriend, and this tremendously awesome coupon book from my youngest.

She informed me that she would give me a free spell - I thought maybe we were going to have a spelling bee (we've been watching Akeelah and the Bee in the evenings), but nope. She's offering to place a spell on anyone I want. I'm a little bit skerred.

I'm super sad, because when we were cleaning out my father in law's room, I found a note that he'd written to himself, that had today's date on it, circled and a reminder to order flowers for me. I really miss him, and Joann. I'm trying to remember the good, and today has been a very good day.

Sooo, let's talk breakfast. In our house, there are 8 people. I get up at 5 and try to spend at least 30 minutes getting a jump start on the day - which, let's be honest, really means grabbing that first cup of coffee. Then I wake the shorties, and it's a mad dash to get everyone up (hello, that takes for - EVER!) dressed, fed and out the door by 7. I constantly bark out assignments - "You! Whatever your name is! Hair, teeth, face, deodorant, shoes!", remind all of their jackets/shoes/snacks/lunches/instruments/library books/signed papers and I drop off my high school student and then go to the elementary/middle, where three days a week, people have 7:15 band -

and we are always there by 7:22. :)

My kids are great eaters. Thanks be that they aren't fussy eaters - they eat just about anything - and their favorite breakfast foods are those that involve pancakes, french toast, eggs, bacon, sausage - in other words, they like big breakfast. And sometimes I make those things ahead of time and store them, and sometimes they eat yogurt and fruit and sometimes I'll make smoothies. We almost always have bagels on hand and on the weekends, we very occasionally eat out.

I mean, occasionally. Have you taken eight people out for a meal lately?

Panera graciously offered to send my family out for breakfast, and I think it was the first time since they were babies that everyone jumped right up out of bed and made it to the truck before I even yelled, "Let's go!"

Panera is one of my favorite places to eat - macaroni and cheese with tomato soup is a carbaholic's best friend and my "reward" lunch if I'm having a really bad day. We get bagels weekly, breakfast sandwiches occasionally, and bread if I'm having company. It's a clean, friendly and welcoming restaurant -

I mean, when you walk in and see something like this, what's not to love?

We struggle with food allergies, and Panera takes this seriously. I've researched the safe foods for my kids, and the bakers do everything they can to reassure us and help to keep my kids safe. It's not a perfect fit, but they really go above and beyond in any way possible.

My shorties were esctatic to get breakfast sandwiches - they are real bacon-aholics - and those yummy, warm sandwiches were gobbled in about 45 seconds.

Mommy got her standard coffee - but this time, with a twist.

Big sister is pensively meditating as she awaits her breakfast goodies.

Panera offers muffins, scones, bagels, cookies, breads, soups, sandwiches, salads - all my favorite things to make, and let's be honest, EAT. Their food is as good, or in some cases better, than I make in the house. (4 cheese egg souffle, anyone?) It's quick and convenient with friendly service and quality that cannot be beat. I've never been disappointed.

Learn more about the fresh meals at Panera by watching Panera’s head baker backstory. You can also enter The Panera Breakfast Backstory Challenge, which allows you to learn about Panera’s passion for baking while you gain chances to win great prizes, including a chance to win an all-inclusive, culinary experience trip to New York City for two!

Have you eaten breakfast at Panera? Would you like to treat your family to a breakfast out - OR treat your sweetie to lunch? (Or save it all for you, I won't tell!) Leave me a comment telling me: What is your favorite way to start the day, and you could win a $100 Panera Gift Card!!

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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About Me

Carmen Staicer is a whirlwind of energy and execution, who never sleeps and drinks way too much coffee. She works from home as Social Media Programs Manager for SheKnows, and is the mom to six kids, most of whom play instruments, sing or dance and all of whom are much smarter than she will ever be. In other words, her house is never ever quiet or still. A concentration of asthma, food allergies, spectrum disorders and learning disabilities means that she spends an awful lot of time second guessing herself and Dr. Googling, as well as learning to cook everything the family might like to eat. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, boxing (she has her Black Belt in Muay Thai), sleeping, exploring coffee shops, photography, ballet class and cooking. She excels in being a smart mouth and has her major in sarcasm, with a dual minor in BS studies and avoiding laundry.